Starlight
by smartybear2
Summary: Akane and Ranma share a quiet moment watching a meteor shower on the dojo roof.


preSTARLIGHT a Ranma 1/2 fanfic by CBear

All characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi, Viz, etc... I just write this stuff for fun and because I love Ranma 1/2 so much. Hope you enjoy it!  
Oh... and watch out for the cheese - this one gets rather sticky. CC are gladly welcomed.

Note: I wrote this in 1996 when I first discovered the world of fan fiction. I previously published this in my own webpage that has since been devoured by the internet. I've decided to upload what I can find herefor posterity. :)

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STARLIGHT

The pale glow of Akane's desk lamp bathed her room in an eerie yellow light,  
casting long shadows on the wall. Several books were spread open on the desk; a couple of her notebooks, many sheets of paper as well. It had an air of pleasant clutter about it.

Akane herself was lying on her bed, hugging one of her stuffed toys to her chest, staring at the shadows on the wall. She was tired from studying since after dinner, but at the moment she was too wound up to sleep. Funny, it seemed that she could study much better when Ranma was stretched out on her bed doodling in his notebooks, pretending to be doing his homework. But of course Ranma, being Ranma, refused to study on a Friday night.

She loved this room; it was her sanctuary. It was the one place she could run and tell her troubles to like an old friend. Tonight, though, she felt as if something was missing from it.

Akane closed her eyes and let the familiar sounds of the night wash over her. From below her she could hear Father and Uncle Saotome loudly playing shogi and sharing sake - something they did every night. Kasumi's gentle humming was barely audible as she tidied up the kitchen for the day, and Akane felt, rather than heard, her sweet, cheerful melody. From Nabiki's room, the clacking sound of an abacus and the occasional merry jingle of coins broke the silence.

Akane smiled, comforted by the sounds of home. Seemed that everyone was accounted for except...

A soft knock on her door intruded into her thoughts. "Akane, may I come in?"

"Sure, Kasumi, the door is open," Akane said, sitting up and giving her eldest sister a welcoming smile. Kasumi came in carrying a few of Akane's school uniforms and clothes in her arms. Akane reached for them and placed them on her bed.

"Thanks for the laundry, Oneechan," Akane said picking up her stuffed toy once more. "I'll put them away later."

Kasumi sat down on the bed beside her and brushed Akane's hair off her forehead. "Studying so hard on a Friday night, Akane?" Kasumi asked.

Akane shrugged. "Nothing better to do," she said, glancing at the framed photograph Ranma had given her for Christmas sitting on her desk, almost covered by the pile of books on it. She sighed softly and leaned her head on Kasumi's shoulder, feeling tired and rather lonely.

"Have you heard that there's going to be a meteor shower tonight?" Kasumi asked, putting her head on top of Akane's. "They said so on the news this evening... just before eleven. Perfect night for gazing, they said, no clouds in the sky and there's a new moon, too. Are you sleepy? It's only an hour from now, you might want to stay awake and wait for it."

Akane nodded. "I think I will - thanks for telling me," she replied. Akane would not miss it for anything. Well... almost anything. She loved looking at the stars. When she was stargazing, it felt like she was staring into forever. "Are you going to stay awake for it, too, Kasumi?"

Kasumi gently eased off Akane's head from her shoulder and gave her forehead a final affectionate brush. "I think not," she said, smiling as she stood up. "I'll be waking up early tomorrow morning, so I guess I should turn in early, too."  
"Good night, Oneechan," Akane said, also standing up as Kasumi opened the door. "I think I'll wait for the meteor shower outside... I don't want to waste a good night of stargazing!"

"Have fun, Akane-chan!" Kasumi said, pausing at the door, her brow lined thoughtfully. "And don't forget to wear your jacket out... it's quite cool up there on the roof. I also left some hot water on the stove in case you might want some tea or hot chocolate later tonight."

"On the roof?" Akane asked, a frown of puzzlement crossing her face.

"The view is best up there." Kasumi smiled. "Good night, Akane-chan." With that she eased out of the room and closed the door.

Akane walked to the window and stuck her head out. The sky was indeed a clear midnight blue, lit only by thousands and thousands of stars. On their own, they cast a silver light on the garden and the koi pond below. It wasn't too nippy... she could do without a jacket.

Silently, she made her way to the laundry porch, passing her sisters' rooms and Ranma's room on the way. There were lights shining under each of them,  
even Ranma's. Since Uncle Saotome was still downstairs with her father, then Ranma was probably inside. She paused outside his door for a moment hesitating - then, thinking better of it, went onto the laundry porch.

Even from there, the view of the sky was magnificent. But something was calling her up to the roof. She bit her lip, considering; after a moment she began to carefully work her way onto the roof.

The climb was worth it, she realized, looking up at the sky. From here she could pretend that she was floating in space and nothing existed but the stars and herself and...

"Akane."

She felt his presence before she saw him or heard him say her name. She turned and found him looking at her curiously, sitting at his favorite spot on the roof, long legs stretched out before him.

"Ranma," she said with a smile, walking over to him. "Do you mind?" she asked, already sensing that he didn't.

"'Course not," Ranma answered, scooting over and gesturing to a spot beside him. He slipped a hand under her elbow and gently supported her as she took a seat beside him. He smiled at her absently. "What are you doing here anyway?" he asked - then flushed visibly. "Uh... what I meant was... what... uh..."

Akane laughed, the spell of the stars helping her to hold her temper. "It's a good night for looking at the stars," she said after a short pause,  
deciding to put him out of his misery. "Kasumi said there's going to be a meteor shower later tonight."

"Really? I thought that was tomorrow... oh, well, never mind," Ranma said,  
scratching his head and frowning thoughtfully. Then he shrugged, lay back and looked at the stars.

The two of them sat in companionable silence for a long time, Akane hugging her knees to her chest, Ranma lying down with his head pillowed on his arms,  
both not wanting to shatter the serenity of the night. From below them, they could hear their fathers' loud laughter as it rang through the house. But above that, they could hear the faint rustle of the leaves as the night breeze danced through the trees, whispering, almost singing.

"Now I know why you like it up here so much," she finally said, her voice ringing with wonder. "Up here, it's like nothing else exists but you and the stars." She paused, glancing back at him with a bemused smile. "It's so beautiful."

Her face, bathed by the stars' silver light, was... "Yeah, beautiful," he replied. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Uh... it... it sorta reminds me of the days when Pop and I were still on the road," he told her. "On clear nights like this, I would lie in a spot that had a full view of the sky and stay awake nearly all night just watching the stars. I could pretend that the sky was my roof and the walls were the trees and..." he broke off,  
blushing. "Stop me when I get too weird."

Akane's eyes were wide, fascinated. "No, no - please go on. It's... it's not weird at all," she said, carefully turning so that she could see his face. Under the embarrassed flush, she could see his face was relaxed, at peace - open. "I've always wondered it was like for you, wandering from place to place... did your father watch the stars with you, too?"

Ranma snorted with suppressed laughter. "Pop? Are you kidding? As far as he was concerned, mealtimes were for eating, night time was for sleeping, and everything else in between was time for training. That guy has no appreciation for the finer things in life."

Akane laughed at this. "As if you do!" she said, between chuckles.

Ranma was oddly silent.

Akane opened her eyes and trailed off at the hurt expression she saw in Ranma's eyes. "I - I'm sorry, Ranma... that was really thoughtless of me...  
I didn't mean it... ugh... that's something that you would say... eeeep!" she babbled, placing a hand over her mouth while flushing with embarrassment. So this was how Ranma felt when he put his foot in his mouth. "I - I'm so sorry."

"'S okay, I guess I deserved that one," he replied, biting his lip thoughtfully then nervously tugging at his braid. " Do you really - uh...  
what I mean is... uh... am I as... am I that..."

Akane put a comforting hand on his arm and shook her head. "No... no, of course not! I - I was just kidding," she said, looking straight into his eyes. He looked uncertain. "You're not like your father, Ranma." She paused thoughtfully. "At least, not in that way."

Akane wasn't sure, but she thought she saw a flicker of relief in his eyes.  
He nodded almost imperceptibly and gave her another small smile. "Thanks,  
Akane."

They sat in silence once more, this time noticing that their fathers'  
weren't making any noise from down below. Now all they could hear were the comforting sounds of the night, the humming of the wind, the rustling of the leaves. From the distance, they could even hear the sounds of downtown Tokyo drifting over to them over the breeze.

"Do - do you miss it?" Akane asked hesitantly, not quite understanding how but knowing that the answer would be important to her.

"Miss what?"

"Having the whole world as your house," she said lightly, forcing a laugh.  
Coming from a life like that, he probably felt confined in a house enclosed by all these walls. Mentally holding her breath, she waited for his answer.

Ranma hesitated. Did he miss his old life? Wandering from place to place,  
not staying long enough to make any good friends growing up, almost always short of food... having no roots. "It was fun..." he began.

Akane felt her stomach take a dip.

"...but I like it better now," he finished. He looked at her. "It... it feels good to have a... a real family now. A... a real... home. Here. With you... uh... your family."

She gave him a bright smile. "I'm glad," she said softly, turning and looking back up at the stars. Akane suddenly shivered. "Kasumi was right...  
I should have taken my jacket."

All of a sudden, she felt a wall of warmth behind her and two strong hands upon her shoulders, urging her backwards. "'S okay, Akane, you can lean against me if you're cold," Ranma said, his warm breath just above her ear.  
Startled, she looked up at him and saw him staring straight ahead and blushing.

She looked down, blushing as well, but touched that he had offered. She leaned back against him and looked back up at the sky. Even tipping her head back, she fit right under his chin; she felt the beating of his heart right behind her.

At that moment, the meteor shower began.

"Look, Ranma!" She pointed at the first few meteors streaking through the sky, sounding like an eager little girl. She felt him look up and heard him gasp in awe.

For long moments the sky was ablaze with the light of thousands of tiny meteorites falling to the earth in a magical shower. Ranma and Akane watched the spectacle in reverent, wonder-filled silence, hoping that it would never end.

She turned her head, secretly hoping to see the shooting stars reflected in his blue-gray eyes - only to find him looking down at her, trying to catch a glimpse of her eyes. In that moment, their faces were just a few inches away, and suddenly it just felt... right.

Up there, it was as if nothing and no one else existed but the two of them -  
and the stars.

The stars lit the world around them as they moved their lips closer to each other, feeling each other's sweet breath fan their faces, eyes slowly drifting close...

Then Akane yawned.

They broke apart, blinking rapidly, hearts beating just as fast. Akane felt her face flushing, and she could feel Ranma tense behind her. "Baka! Baka!  
Baka!" she thought to herself, leaning back and breathing deeply to calm herself. "Just as he was about to kiss me!" Involuntarily, she yawned again.

"Sleepy?" he asked after a few moments, also breathing deeply, then finally relaxing enough to place his chin of top of her head.

"A bit," she answered. Stars were still streaking across the midnight blue sky, and she didn't want to break the spell by going inside the house before the shower was over. "But I don't want to..." she began, trailing off to yawn again.

Ranma seemed to read her mind and eased her closer so she could lean back fully on his chest. "Don't worry, I'll just... uh... I'll wake you up in case you... uh... I mean... yeah," he said, also trailing off.

She could feel her eyelids drifting closed. "It's beautiful, isn't it,  
Ranma?" she said softly, smiling contentedly then yawning again. In a few more moments she was asleep.

Ranma held her long minutes after the meteor shower had ceased, reluctant to wake her up. He smiled down at her, watching her sleep. Her thick long lashes brushed her cheeks, the silver light of the stars causing them to cast shadows on her face. Her cute little-girl nose flared almost imperceptibly with each breath she took, and she was smiling softly in her sleep.

He could feel her breathing evenly against him, the rhythm of her sweet breath causing his silk shirt to rustle softly. He smiled to himself,  
feeling it safe to admit that he rather liked the weight of her head pillowed on his chest and the feel of her against him. Then he felt her shiver. Hmmm... it WAS getting rather chilly.

He gently shifted her weight in his arms, picked her up, and slowly stood up. She murmured softly and stirred a little but she didn't wake up.  
Holding her close to his chest, he carefully made his way off the roof and onto the laundry porch once more. There he stopped, taking one last look at the stars. They winked back at him solemnly.

He padded silently into the house, pausing when he noticed a flash of silver on a table right by the door as he entered the house. With Akane in his arms, he could not stoop down into the shadows to see what it was, so he walked past the table and decided to check it out after he had tucked her in.

Ranma didn't turn on the light as he entered Akane's bedroom. The desk lamp was on, casting a pale glow all around them. He laid her on the bed then gently took off her shoes and laid them on the floor. Then he slowly pulled up her covers and tucked them around her. She stirred a little, burrowed her face into her pillow murmuring, then settled down with a contented sigh.

He turned off the desk lamp and the pale glow of its light was replaced by the silver starlight that streamed through Akane's open window. He walked back to her bed and looked down at her, smiling.

"No, Akane, YOU'RE beautiful," he whispered, hunching down beside her as she slept. He hesitated, looking around guiltily, then brushed a whisper of a kiss upon her forehead.

Akane smiled in her sleep.

Ranma tenderly smiled back at her then left, quietly shutting the door behind him.

Returning to the laundry porch before he turned in for the night, Ranma stooped down to see what had caused the flash of silver on the table as he entered.

So that was why no one had bothered them all night...

On the shadowed table, glinting in the starlight, were an unsheathed katana , a pot of recently-made tea, and three teacups - one less than-half full,  
the other two ready for use.

Beside the katana was one of Kasumi's hair ribbon.

"Thanks, Kasumi," he thought, chuckling to himself, filling the unused teacup and taking it to his own room.

The wind in the trees blew a bit stronger and the leaves rustled louder -  
and for a moment Ranma thought that maybe tonight the stars were laughing with him.

\- fin -

Notes from the author:

I hope none of you tripped over any of the cheese... but I just HAD TO write this story. Actually it just wrote itself out! Again, Kasumi plays an important cameo (is that possible, to be an important cameo?) in getting Ranma and Akane closer together. I just couldn't bear cluttering up their magical starry night with Soun and Genma-panda falling off the roof and Nabiki taking pictures of the two of them together. I guess Kasumi couldn't bear it either.

Anyway, I hope you people enjoy this one... my third offering in - hmmm... 4 days? I'm trying to get as much writing as I can while I'm still on summer vacation. Come next week when school starts, well...

Thanks again Mike!

Thanks for the CC you've given me on SPRING SHOWERS and SANDCASTLES... I hope I hear from you about this one, too.

Smile and have a nice day! /pre 


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